CLOSING THE PROJECT

Deliverables:

Updated Project Management Plan Closed Contracts

The closing of the project includes closing contracts with all parties involved in the project, documenting lessons learned during the project, recording requests for change, recording identified defects, and evaluating the entire process. The deliverables that are produced in the closing phase are the updated project management plan and closed contracts. The closing phase of the project is the most likely to be overlooked by the project manager and project team. Closing the project not only provides for completion of administrative activities, but also provides evaluation of project performance which can be a valuable learning tool for the project manager as well as others. Project facts or statistics should be compiled from project information that will assist in the assessment of the project performance. The following are what must occur during the closing phase of the project: 1. Hand off to the implementing organization. 2. Ensure project deliverables meet stakeholder requirements. 3. Close the project: i. Close contracts ii. Document lessons learned during the project. 4. Release resources. 5. Evaluate the project process. To close the project, the project manager must verify that all project contracts originated for the project have been closed and the deliverables have been delivered to and accepted by the sponsor and receiving organization. All project records should be reviewed to determine the success or failure of that particular activity and documented to be archived as lessons learned from this project. The project management plan should be reviewed to ensure that all updates to relevant plans have been completed.